Collapsible inwardly folding door for refrigeration equipment



R. C. FOLLETT COLLAPSIBLE INWARDLY FOLDING DOOR FOR REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT Filed Oct. 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. flay f/Zuerr Apnl 3, 1956 R. c. FOLLETT 2,740,471

COLLAPSIBLE INWARDLY FOLDING DOOR FOR REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT Flled Oct 29 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 coLLAPsinrn Ibll/VARDLY FOLDENG noon non nnrnionnlrrrors EQUllPMENT Roy C. Follett, Garden City, N. Application October 29, 1953, Serial No. 383,982

12 Claims. (Cl. loll-32) This invention relates to a door arrangement particularly adapted for use in ice bins designed for the storage and preservation of ice following its manufacture by small ice making plants, although it also can be useful for other applications.

Since the original development of small automatic ice making plants suitable for general use in restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and markets, for example, attention was primarily directed to the perfection of the ice making apparatus itself, whereby the problem of the ice bunker or storage bin was largely overlooked. For this reason, as well as other economical factors, the distribution and acceptance of the first apparatus of this type was extremely limited and it was not until the Navy recognized the military value of self-contained automatic ice making plants during the last war that such machines were manufactured in quantity.

The problem of ice storage and removal continued to exist, however, and usually the ice discharged from the machine into various containers, tubs or barrels in a make-shift fashion. Subsequently, considerable interest in such equipment developed but the provision of suitable storage and handling facilities for the manufactured ice continued to be a problem. Difiiculties arose in connection with the distribution of the ice discharged into the bin from the ice making unit as well as the removal of the ice therefrom for consumption. These two problems are closely related in that if cognizance is not taken of the distribution of the ice within the bin it is virtually impossible to design an ice removal opening and door arrangement that would be fully satis- I factory. in most cases the ice tends to pack against the door as the bin fills up, thereby interfering with the operation of the doors, particularly when they are of the sliding overlapped type. it is therefore necessary to control the ice formation and level at the door opening so that the accumulation of ice does not interfere with proper door operation. A main object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement. for controlling ice accumulation in the area of the bin opening so that door operation is not interfered with.

Heretofore, various attempts have been made to pro vide suitable ice bin closures hinged in various arrangements to the bin opening. Such arrangements have encountered severe difficulties since they are subject to abnormal usage and abuse. in order to overcome the problems presented in the use of hinge door arrangements various types of sliding doors were attempted, situated in overlapping relationship. These proved superior to the hinged types but considerable difiiculty was'encountered by the collection of ice particles in the lower tracks which obstructed door operation and prevented the doors from moving into fully closed position.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a door arrangement which will function satisfactorily under all conditions described above and whereby the closure is fully protected in its action from ice accumulation. Another object of the invention is to provide 2,74,47l ratented Apr. 3, i956 2 completely free access to the stored ice'in ice storage receptacles with no partial obstruction to the removal or the ice by scoop or shovel, and wherein the door is collapsible inwardly to provide full access through the door opening or the'rcceptacle. A further and most important object is to provide a collapsible door which is so balanced that in operation it moves from a fully open to a fully closed position, and vice versa, by only the slight effort required to move the door out of the extreme rest position at the end of each movement.

in accordance with the present invention a superior arrangement for the purposes aforesaid is achieved by a balanced collapsible door composed of panels pivoted together centrally and provided with hearing members at the upper, lower and central portions, in combination with track channels so that the door may be folded in:

wardly rrom Illlly closed to tully opened position, with the movement so coordinated that the pressure in the upward movement of the lower door constantly forces the whole assembly until the bearing members reach their nnal rest position.

in the reverse movement from the open to the closed rest position the tracks are so designed that the movement or the panels forward is so controlled that the lower bearing members are always moving downward in advance or the central bearing members. This is accomplished by providing freedom of movement in the upper bearing members to allow the central and lower bearing members to complete their inward and upward travel over their respective guiding channels without restriction.

'l he channels for the central bearing members extend upwardly a short distance from a closed rest position and p then curve inwardly and upwardly to a terminal shelf or open rest position, while the channels for the lower bearlngmemoers extend upwardly to a point beyond the inward curve 01' the central channels and then inwardly a short distance to a terminal open rest position. On the other hand, the channels for the upper bearings are extended up a short distance beyond the closed rest p0- sitlon and curved down and inwardly therefrom to an open rest position. The doors are fully protected in the fully closed and the fully opened positions by a baflle arrangement which prevents ice from accumulating near the lower portion or the door opening. The arrangement is such, however, due to the particular collapsing action involved that door operation is unimpeded even when small amounts of ice accumulation at the lower portion of the door area occurs.

The particular arrangement of the guide channels is such that when the door is in the closed position it is impossible for the panels to collapse inwardly at the center portion. This is possible by virtue of the final lowering motion of all bearingmembers into lower rest position and particularly the short curved downward movement of the central bearing members made possible by the freedom of movement in the upper bearing members.

Referring to the drawings a specific embodiment of the invention is shown for purposes of illustration, al though substantial modifications therein are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ice making machine and storage receptacle embodying the principles of the present invention. Figure 2 is a vertical section through the front of the ice storage receptacle showing the doors in fully closed position. Figure 3 is a similar view showing the door closures in the position they occupy at the initiation of the closing movement. Figure 4 shows the doors in fully open position, and Figure 5 is a section taken on the lines 5-5 of Figure 2.

In connection with the specifically illustrated embodialthough it could just as well be disposed in a vertical plane. The. iceremoval opening in the front of the bin in is normally closed by a double paneled door com-- prising an. upper panel. 13 and lower panel 1.4 which are pivoted together at the opposite ends at and 16. Referring, particularly to Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the. drawings it will be seen that tracking devices- 17 and 18 are mounted at the opposite sides of the door opening and extend inwardly therefrom to provide trackingv facilities for the inwardly collapsing movement; ofthe mold-paneled door 13, 14. Each of the members 17 and 18 are formed with complementary track channels whereby the door may be moved from fully opened to fully closed position and vice versa. drawings it will be seen that the upper portion of the lower panel14 is offset rearwardly and provided at the extremities with bearing members or rollers 19. The lower portion of the panel 14 is also provided at the opposite ends with hearing members or rollers 26 and the upper door panel 13 is provided at the opposite ends niar the upper portion with bearing members or rollers 2 Formed in the complementary tracking devices 17 and 18 are track channels or guides 22 for the intermediate doorbearings 19 which are located at approximately the midsection of the tracking device 17. This track channel 22 extends upwardly a short distance from the closed rest position and is then curved inwardly and upwardly to a terminal shelf portion or upper rest position: 23. It will be appreciated from the drawings that the. tracking devices 17 and 18 are provided with rear- Referringtothe areas-r1 ward extensions which curve up gradually to the terminal shelf portion 23 and the upper portions of these rear extensions constitute a continuation of the track channels 22.

Track channels or guides 24 for the lower door bearings extend directly up generally following the slope of the door opening from the closed rest position to a point substantially beyond'the inward curve of the intermediate track channels 22 and then curve inwardly a short distance to an open rest position as shown best in Figure. 4' of the drawings.

The track channels or guides 25 for the upper door bearings 21 are extended upwardly a short distance beyond the closed rest position as shown in Figure 2 and curve down and inwardly a short distance to an open rest position as clearly indicated in the drawings.

Thearrangement shown is such that the multi-paneled door 13, 14 may be moved from an open to a fully closed position and viceversa, substantially by gravitational force. Referring to Figure 4 it will be observed that the doors 13, 14 collapse together with all rollers resting in a fully supported position with the intermediate bearings 19 onthe shelf portion 23 and the upper and lower door bearings 21 and 20 resting respectively in the open rest positions at the ends of the track channels 24 and 25.

Moreover, it will be observed that when the collapsible door has been moved into this position clear access is provided to the ice storage within the bin and a slight outward'movement by means of the door slot 26 will release thelower bearings 20 from their open rest position and the entire assembly will collapse downwardly and fall into the fully closed position by gravity. It will be appreciated that the downward curve of the intermediate track members 22 firmly locks the door at the central portion against collapse inwardly and when the doors are opened the central bearings 19 first move upwardly a short distance as shown in Figure 3 wherein the upper bearings 21 move into the upper portions of the upper-track i channels 25 and then as the intermediate bearings 19 follow the inward and rearward curve of the'channel's 22 the upper bearings 21 begin to move downwardly again as illustrated by the dotted line position in Figure 3, while the lower bearings 20 move a substantial distance upwardly and finally the portions move substantially by gravitational force into the fully open position illustrated in Figure 4.

An important feature of the invention is that the an.- rangement eliminates any jamming action in the inward and outward movement of the door due primarily to the fact that the bearing members. for the lower panel 14 have actually begun their downward descent before the central bearing members are fully displaced from the rest position 23 as shown especially in Figure 3. This action is made possible by the very gradual slope of the track channels 24 downward from the fully open rest position for the lower bearing members as will be apparent from the drawings.

Moreover, the final movement of. the door: into'fully closed position as. shown in Figure 2 locks the. central portion against collapse inwardly due to the final. and somewhat abrupt downward curve of the central track channels 22 just above the final rest. position for thecentralbearing members 19. The arrangement as described; enables a practically effortless operation of the door into fullyopen and fully-closed positions while requiring positive effort to actuate the doubled panel door in either. direction. These and other advantages and features will; be obvious from the foregoing description as illustrated by the drawings and covered by the appended claims.

It will be observed that in the fully open position the doors and the ice removal opening are fully protected by a downwardly sloping baifle arangement. This balflfi ex.- tends from a point adjacent the upper panel-with the doors in full rest position inwardly and downwardly to a point just below the central bearing members for the multi-paneled door. This baffle facilitates the. distnbu. tionot ice entering the. bin in an area where it will not interfere with the door operation and so that ice does not accumulate immediately in baclc of the opening in such amanner that it would spill out upon the floor as the door is opened.

I. claim:

1*. A collapsible door having panels pivoted together centrally and bearing members at the upper; lower and central portions thereof, track channels so thatthe door may be folded inwardly from closed to open position, the channels for the central bearings extending up a. short distance from a closed rest position and. curved inwardly and upwardly toa terminal shelf portion, the channels for the lower bearings extending up to a point beyond the. inward curve of thecentral channels and then curved inwardly a short distance to an open rest position, the channels for the upper bearings extending up a short distance beyond the closed rest position and curved: down and inwardlytherefrom to anopenrest position.

2. A collapsible door having panels pivoted together I centrally, bearing members at the lower, central and upper portions thereof and corresponding track channels for the bearing members, the track channels for Sald lower bearing members providing for extended upward and. A

relatively briefinward motion for said lower bearing members, the track channels for the central bearing members providing for extended inward and brief upward motion for said central members, and the tracks for the upper members providing for both limited. upward and limited downward and inward movement for said upper. members, so that the door is fully locked in closed posi? tion and the inertia supplied by theweight of. the. door tends to move the door from closed to open position after initial movement. 7

3'. A collapsible multi-panel door wherein the panels are pivoted together centrally and the panels are. provided withupper, lower and centrally located bearing members;

means associated with the central bearing members whereby the door can be folded inwardly at the central portion, said means including a track arched downwardly a short distance to a terminal rest position for said central bearing members whereby the door is supported in the middle against collapse inwardly in closed position and a track extending upward from the closed rest position for the upper bearing members to allow the door to be raised slightly to move the central bearing members from their rest position in said arched track to collapse the door inwardly.

4. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 3 wherein track channels are provided for the lower bearing members which extend straight upwardly from the closed rest position for said members and are arched inwardly a relatively short distance to an open rest position for said lower bearing members at a point above the said arched track for the central bearing members.

5. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 3 wherein the track for the central bearing members is curved backwardly and upwardly from the relatively short arched section at the closed rest position and terminates in a shelf portion thereby providing an open rest position for said central bearing members.

6. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 3 wherein means are provided for initiating the movement of the door from a fully closed to an inwardly collapsed position.

7. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 5 wherein a track is provided for the lower bearing members which extend straight upwardly and terminates in a relatively short inward arch to an open rest position for the lower bearing members, the arch being of such dimensions that on moving the door from a fully open position the lower bearing members clear the upper arched portion before the central bearing members are fully displaced from the shelf portion referred to.

8. A door arrangement for an ice storage bin comprising an opening at the front of the bin for the removal of ice, an inlet opening for ice in the top of the bin, doors operably disposed with respect to said removal opening and movable into fully closed and fully open position with respect thereto, and a bafiie member essentially coextensive with said removal opening extending across the top thereof and sloped downwardly to a point substantially above the bottom of the bin, said baflie being located directly below said inlet opening disposed at a position sufiiciently removed from said removal opening to prevent the accumulation of ice around the lower portion thereof.

9. A collapsible door having panels pivoted together centrally, bearing members at the upper, lower and central portions and corresponding track channels for said hearing members, the track channels for the upper bearing members extending straight up from the closed rest position for said members and arched downward and inward a short distance from said position to an open rest position for said upper bearing members, the track channels for the lower bearing members extending straight up from a closed rest position and arched inwardly a short distance to an open rest position at a point directly adjacent the terminal position for the upper bearing members and the tracks for the central bearing members being arched upwardly and inwardly from the closed rest position and then inwardly and upwardly to a shelf portion forming for said central bearing members an open rest position.

10. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 9 wherein the central bearing members are located adjacent the central pivot point for said panels.

11. A collapsible door as set forth in claim 9 wherein a bafile is provided substantially coextensive with said panel door extendingfrom a point adjacent the closed rest position for the upper bearing members downwardly and inwardly to a point adjacent the open rest position for the central bearing members.

12. A collapsible multi-panel door wherein the panels are pivoted together centrally and are provided with upper, lower and centrally located bearing members, means associated with the central bearing members whereby the door can be folded inwardly and upwardly at the central portion, said means including a track arched downwardly a short distance to a terminal rest position for said central bearing members so the door is supported at the middle against collapse inwardly in closed position, said track extending inwardly and upwardly from the relatively short arched portion and terminating in a shelf portion providing an open rest position for the central bearing members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,239,758 Scherer Apr. 29, 1941 2,411,419 Frohnapel Nov. 19, 1946 2,569,113 Munshower Sept. 25, 1951 2,585,645 Freitag Feb. 12, 1952 2,657,547 Heuser Nov. 3, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,279 Australia Sept. 2, 1936 

